Improvement in hay and straw cutters



C. D. & W. S. BREWER.

Hay and Straw Cutter. 7

No. 45,385. PatentedDec. 13, 1864.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

O. D. BREWER AND W. S. BREWER, OF LEVVISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY AND STRAW CUTTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,385, dated December13, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, O.D. BREWER and W. S. BREWER, residents ofLewisburg, in the county of Union and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Hay, Straw, and Fodder HandCutting Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full.clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of ourimprovement, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a partof this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of ahandcutting box with the improvements attached; Fig. 2, a front View ofthe cutting arrangement with the knife in position; Fig. 3, a front viewof the throat-piece and cuttingbar with the knife detached; Fig. 4, aback view of the adjustable plate A; Fig. 5, a flat view of thepress-board B and its arrangement. I

The nature of our improvement consists in the construction andarrangementof the adjustable plate A, as shown in Fig. 4, whereby theknife to is so controlled as to adjust the edge thereof to thecutting-bar a a, thereby forming a perfect shear-cutting principle bymeans of the shape of the cutting-bar a a and the ability of adjustingthe knife to the same. The knife and lever, as shown in Fig. i, are heldsecurely to the adjustable plate A by means of the nut 11, as shown inFig. 1, which screws on the end of the fulcrunrpin O, as seen in Fig. 2,said fulcrum being fast to the adjustable plate A, which being left fullat the center on the back part, with an impression, E, to receive theend of the setscrew u, by which means the plate A is made adjustable,and is easily changed in position by means of the screw-bolts 0 0, asshown in Figs. 2 and 4, whereby when the upper bolt is loosened and thelower one tightened the edge of the knife is thrown closer to thecutting-bar a a, and vice versa, thereby regulating the knifetransversely at will. The knife being regulated longitudinally by meansof the thumb-screw D, which passes through the open hook G, as shown inFig. 5, and moves the point of the adjustable plate A across the openingin the hook G, thereby regulating the pressure of the knife against thecutting-bar a a longitudinally, by the assistance of the semicircle R,which is held to the plate A by means of screws, this part of themachine to be constructed of cast-iron, and in the construction andarrangement of the pressboard B, as shown in Fig. 5, which is a boardswinging or hinging on the pins n n, and connected with the shaft K bymeans of the short arm It, and the shaft K being connected with thefoottreadle L by means of the pitman Y, by which means, when the foot isplaced upon the treadle L and pressed downward, the shaft K is caused torevolve. Thereby through the agency of the short elbow r the 'pressboardB is forced down on the straw or other substance which is being cut,thereby packing it solid and holding it securely in its proper place,thereby facilitating the labor of cutting as well as preventing thesubstance from being drawn from the box without being cut off, as mustevidently be the case with cutting-boxes that have no press-board andthe construction and arrangement of the hand-rake F, as shown in Fig. 1.which is connected with the press-board B by means of the straps s,which is fastened to the pressboard B with pins or screws, the rakebeing fastened to the press-board serves the double purpose of movingforward the straw or other substance, and in doing that it at the sametime draws down the end of the press-board B, thereby raising the otherend, which gives the straw or other substance the opportunity of passingthrough under the press-board B unobstructed, the whole being simple inconstruction, efiective, and practicable, being neither costly norliable to get out of order.

Having thus fully described our improved cutting-box and pointed out itsutility, what we claim as new therein and of our invention isl. Thepress-board B, shaft K, arm R, connecting'rod Y, and treadle L, whenarranged and operating as and for the purpose specified.

2. The rake F, when attached to the pressboard B, operating as and forthe purpose set forth.

0. D. BREWER. W. S. BREWER. Witnesses:

SoLoMoN YOUNG, DANIEL BROWN.

